Chapter Eighteen
Adriana
I lay in bed, the darkness pressing in around me. My heart won’t stop racing. Every time I close my eyes, I hear the gunshot, a staccato rhythm of terror and see Valentina’s face, pale and lifeless. The sheets are damp with my cold sweat.
“Dante…I can’t stop seeing it,” I say, my voice cracking. “The gun, the blood. Val falling…”
Dante shifts beside me, his muscular arm wrapping around my waist. He pulls me against his chest, enveloping me in his warmth. “Shh, tesoro. You’re safe here with me.” His lips skim my ear, his breath hot on my skin.
But am I? The question echoes in my mind, a taunt. My best friend was shot at my mother’s birthday. Nowhere feels safe anymore.
I turn to face Dante, searching his eyes in the moonlight. “What if they come here next? Try to kill me? To kill you?”
My fingers trace the scar on his jaw, rough beneath my touch. He’s no stranger to violence, but that thought brings little comfort.
Dante catches my hand, pressing a kiss to my palm. " They won’t. I won’t let anyone harm you, Adriana. I swear it.” There’s steel in his voice, cold and unyielding.
“How can you be so sure? How can you stay so calm?”
“Because I have to,” he says, his voice low and intense. “For you. For us.”
My throat tightens with unshed tears. “I’m scared, Dante. I don’t know if I’m cut out for this life.”
He cups my face in his calloused hands. “Listen to me, Adriana. I will protect you with my dying breath. No harm will come to you while I draw air.”
I want to believe him. Need to believe him. But the memory of gunfire and blood stains my thoughts crimson.
“Promise me,” I plead, gripping his wrists. “Promise me it will be okay.”
Dante’s lips touch my forehead. “I promise, tesoro. Whatever comes, we face it together.”
I burrow into his chest, inhaling his familiar scent. I close my eyes, focusing on the steady thrum of Dante’s heartbeat. For now, at least, I’m safe in his arms. But as sleep finally claims me, I can’t shake the feeling that this is just the calm before the storm.
The ring of my phone jolts me awake.Dante’s arms tighten around me protectively as I reach for the device. My mother’s name flashes on the screen, sending a pang of guilt in my chest. I had been so caught up, I did not check on her.
“It’s my mother,” I look at Dante.
Dante nods, his eyes dark with concern. “Answer it. She needs to know you’re safe.”
I take a deep breath and swipe to accept the call. “Mamma?”
“Adriana! Oh, thank God!” My mother’s voice is frantic, laced with worry. “Where are you? Are you hurt? We’ve been so worried!”
I swallow hard, trying to steady my voice. “I’m okay, Mamma. I’m with Dante. I’m sorry I left without saying anything, I just… I couldn’t…”
The words catch in my throat, memories of gunshots and screams flooding back. I feel Dante’s hand on my back, grounding me.
“It’s alright, darling,” my mother soothes, but I can hear the strain in her voice. “We understand. We’re just relieved you’re safe.”
I nod, even though she can’t see me. “How’s… how’s Valentina?” I ask, dreading the answer. “Is she…?”
“She’s stable,” my mother assures me. “The doctors say she’ll recover.”
Relief floods through me, but it’s quickly followed by a wave of guilt. “Can you check on her for me? I should be there, but…”
“Of course, cara mia. I’ll go first thing in the morning.”
I clutch the phone tighter, picturing Valentina’s vibrant smile, her infectious laugh. The way she’s always been there for me. The thought of losing her is unbearable. “Tell her I love her, okay? And that I’ll visit as soon as I can.”
“Of course, dear,” my mother assures me. “I’ll go to the hospital right away and call you with any news.”
“Thank you,” I respond, tears slipping down my cheeks. “I love you, Mamma.”
“I love you too, Adriana. Stay safe.”
Just as I’m about to end the call, a familiar voice in the background makes me freeze.
“Is that Adriana? Let me speak to her.” My father’s voice, gruff and insistent.
I hesitate, my finger hovering over the end call button. Dante’s hand finds mine, a silent question in his touch.
“Adriana?” My mother’s voice returns, tentative. “Your father wants to talk to you. Should I…?”
I swallow hard, my mouth suddenly dry. Part of me wants to hang up, to shield myself from whatever my father has to say. But I can’t run forever.
“Okay,” I agree reluctantly, “Put him on.”
The seconds stretch as I wait, each heartbeat thundering in my ears. Then, his voice fills the line.
“Adriana? Are you there?”
“Yes, dad,” I manage, my words clipped.
“Are you hurt? Tell me you’re not hurt,” he sounds worried.
I close my eyes, fighting back a surge of emotions. “I’m fine.”
Dante’s arm tightens around me, and I lean into his warmth, drawing strength from his presence.
“Thank God,” my father breathes. “When I heard the shooting, I thought…” His voice trails off.
“I’m okay,” I repeat, unsure what else to say. The weight of unspoken words hangs between us, heavy and suffocating.
“Adriana, I…” My father’s voice wavers, thick with guilt. “I need to tell you something. I’m so sorry.”
My stomach twists. Dread seeps into my bones, cold and unforgiving. I grip the phone tighter, knuckles white.
“What did you do?” The words tumble out, sharp and demanding. My heart races, each beat a warning.
A heavy sigh crackles through the line. “It was supposed to be Dante,” he confesses.
The world tilts. I grab Dante’s arm, anchoring myself. He tenses beside me, but I can’t look at him. Not yet.
“What do you mean?” I ask, though I already know. The truth claws at my throat.
“The target,” my father continues, words rushing out now. “It was meant for Dante. But when I realized he wasn’t there with you, I tried to stop it. I swear, Adriana. I called Lorenzo De Luca immediately.”
I stiffen.
“He betrayed me,” my father’s voice breaks. “The shooting went ahead anyway. Adriana, please. You have to believe me. I never meant for anyone else to get hurt. Especially not Valentina. I’m so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?”
I sit frozen, his words echoing in my ears. The weight of his betrayal crushes me, stealing my breath. How could he? My own father…
Dante’s fingers intertwine with mine, a silent reminder of his presence. I turn to him, searching his face. His expression is unreadable, but I can feel how rigid is body is, taut with rage.
“Adriana?” My father’s desperate voice pulls me back. “Please, say something.”
I open my mouth, but no words come. What can I possibly say?
My hands tremble as I grip the phone tighter.
“How could you?” I finally manage, my hand clenching the phone tightly. “Valentina is my best friend, Papa. She’s fighting for her life because of you.”
I close my eyes, seeing Valentina’s vibrant face once again. Now she’s lying in a hospital bed, tubes and wires everywhere. Because of my father’s actions.
“I know, tesoro,” he says, his voice thick with regret. “I made a terrible mistake. I was desperate, thinking only of our family’s honor. But I see now how wrong I was.”
His guilt bleeds through every word, but it does nothing to soothe the storm raging inside me. I love my father, but this betrayal cuts deep.
“Honor?” I spit out the word. “There’s no honor in what you’ve done. You could have killed someone. You almost did.”
My father’s ragged breath comes through the line. “You’re right. I was a fool. I’ll do anything to make this right, Adriana. Please, tell me how.”
I shake my head, even though he can’t see me. Tears sting my eyes as I struggle to reconcile the loving father I’ve always known with this man who could order such violence.
“I don’t know if you can make this right, Papa,” I say, my heart breaking with each word. I can’t believe he wanted to kill my husband. Just the mere thought of Dante dead makes my heart ache.
My father’s voice crackles through the phone, desperate and pleading. “Adriana, please. I’ll do anything. I love you, tesoro.”
The words twist in my gut like a knife. I can’t bear to hear any more. My thumb hovers over the end call button, trembling.
“I… I can’t do this right now,” I choke out. “Goodbye, Papa.”
I hit end call before he can respond, letting the phone drop onto the bed. The silence that follows is deafening.
I turn to Dante, my vision blurring with unshed tears. His jaw is clenched and there is still anger in his eyes, but there’s something in his eyes - pity and sadness on my behalf.
Without a word, he opens his arms.
I collapse against his chest, a sob tearing from my throat. His arms wrap around me, strong and secure, as I cry for my father’s betrayal and for Valentina.
Dante’s hand strokes my hair, his touch surprisingly gentle. “Shh, cara mia,” he says, his voice low and rough. “I’ve got you.”
I cling to him, my tears soaking his bare chest. His heartbeat thrums steady against my cheek, very unlike my own erratic pulse.
“How could he?” I say, my voice raw. “My own father…”
Dante’s muscles tense beneath my fingers. “Your father is a fool,” he growls. “But Lorenzo… he will pay for this betrayal.”